Scaffold



July 17, 1923- 1,462,439

J. L. BALDWIN sclugow Filed Aug. 24, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. L. BALDWIN SCAFFOLD Filed Aug. 24 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 17, 1923.

JOHN L. BALDWIN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SCAFFOLD.

Application filed August 24, 1922. Serial No. 584,017.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JOHN L. BALDWIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in scaffolds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in scaffolds, and more particularly to structures of this sort which are portable in character, and designed to be quickly and conveniently erected adjacent a building, on the outside of the building, or for interior work, as the exigencies of the case may require. I

The object of the invention is to provide a simple structure that can be readily and conveniently erected adjacent a building, or on the inside of a building, as stated, and firmly secured to an opening in the building, such as a window or door opening.

Coming within the general objects stated is the purpose of providing a device or mechanism which can be quickly expanded into a building opening and locked there, the

time consumed for such adjustment and locking being much less than is incident to devices of this character now in use.

A further object of the lHXQ-Il-tlOD is to provide means for piv-otally locking the building engaging part of the device after it has been placed in locking position in the opening.

A still further object is to provide means for quickly adjusting laterally the locking device along the scaffold board, so as to quickly and conveniently bring it opposite the building opening in which the locking device is to be secured.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description. I I

In the drawings illustrating the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view and partial section showing the scaffold adjacent to an opening in a building, the locking device being ex panded and secured in position to hold the scaffold.

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view, taken a out on. l e -a of. F g- 1 sho ing the means for holding the locking device in expanded position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a sliding bracket carried by the scaffold board, and which cooperates with the locking device.

F ig. 5 is a section of one of the uprights showing the manner of holding the separable uprights together.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the device for forcefully separating the expanding levers of the locking device.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of this device. Fig. shows a modified form of separat- 111%Cl8V1C6.

*ig. 9 is a detail cross sectional view show ing the form in which I may make various links.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents a portion of a building, 2 designates the window frame, 3 the outer sash space, and 1 the inner sash space, the outer sash space 3 being defined by the usual beads 5;

The numeral 6 designates the locking means as a whole, for locking and holding the scafiold in proper relative position to the building, and this locking means in the main consists of a series of links 7 and 8, pivoted together at their ends as indicated at 9, and at their centers as indicated at 1.0, and pivo-tally connected as indicated at 11 with the set of links at each end of the device, is a cross arm 12, adapted to fit snugly between the beads 5 in the window opening when the locking device is in expanded position, or in the position shown in Fig. 1.

Two of the links are extended to form arms 7 and 8, pivoted together at 13. These arms are crossed as shown, and outer ends are pivoted as indicated at let to the ends of levers 15, which in turn are pivoted as indicated at 16 by a peculiar pivoting means, which will be described later in detail, and the ends of the levers terminate in hand grips 17.

The numeral 18 designates the scaffold board separated upon laterally extending metallic pins 19, securely fastened -in' uprights 20, the ends of the pins being upturned as indicated at 21, which upturned ends, together with the inner faces of the uprights, hold the scaffold board in proper position relative to the uprights. Slidable upon this board is a bracket 22, provided with portions 23 that underlie the edges of the scaffold board. The bracket is also provided with an extension 24, and 'a-slot 25 therein for the passage of the shank 26 of a locking bolt 27, the shank of the bolt is threaded as indicated at 28 to cooperate with the threads in a bushing 29, slidable in the slot 25. The shank of the bolt is the means for pivoting the levers 15 to the bracket, and as shown in Fig. 3, this bolt extends through said arms and through the bushing in the bracket, and in order to get proper leverage for clamping the arms together, I preferably provide a hand grip 30.

On one of the levers 15 I provide two ears 31 between which is pivotally mounted a bar 32, provided with a rack 33, which extends between two ears 34 on the opposite lever 15, and pivoted between these cars 34 is a lever 35, which carries near its lower end a pivoted pawl 36 adapted to engage one or the other of the teeth of the rack 33.,and below the pawl 36 is another pawl 37, also adapted to engage one or the other of the teeth of the rack to prevent retrograde movement of the levers 15 when they have been supported to the proper point where it is desirable to secure the locking means in expanded position in the building opening.

In addition to the pins 19 which hold the scaffold board, I provide the uprights 20 with a number of similar pins 38 used in connection with the pins 19 for mounting the scaffold.

The uprights 20 are made in sections 39 and 40, and it will be-understood that any number of these sections may be employed according to the height that the scaffold is to reach. The sections 40 are provided with metallic sleeves 41,.which fit snugly over the reduced ends42 of the lower sections of the uprights, and similar metallic sleeves are provided on the upper sections which fit over the upper ends of the section immediately below.

In positioning the scaffold, say for instanceon the outside of a building, the no rights are properly placed with relation to the window opening, and the locking means 6, comprising the various links heretofore described, are placed in the opening, and the levers 15 are moved toward each other by an appropriatemanual operation until the links have expanded sufficiently to bring the arms 12 in the proper groove in the window frame, which as described, is between the beads 5, when the lever 35 is manipulated to force the outer arms of the levers15 apart, and a few successive movements of the lever Will serve through the rack and pawl mechanism shown to bring the arms 12 forcefully against the window frame, and when the of angle irons to give them greater rigidity and strength. 7

Referring to the modification, Fig. 8, I dispensewith the rack 33, and substitute a threaded bar 43, which extends between cars 44 carried by one of the levers 15. These ears are supported at the top forming a re cess for the passage of the threaded end of the bolt, and a nut 45 is provided which rests against the ears 44, and the threading of this nut on the bar in one direction will obviously separate the levers 15, andin the opposite direction, will permit the outer end of the levers beyond the pivot to move toward each other to release the locking device.

It will be noted that the locking device is a modified lazy tongs, and itsmanipulation through the added features makes possible a very quick and convenient attachment for the scaffold with a greater range of movement than is possible with elements characterizing structures of this sort, so far as I am aware.

Claims: I

1. In a scaffold structure, in combination, a plurality of uprights, means carried by the uprights for supporting a scaffold board, a scaffold board supported by said means, a bracket slidable on the scaffold board, a laterally expansible mechanism secured to the bracket, means adjacent to the scaffold board for expanding and contracting said mechanism, and means for locking the mechanism in expanded position. 2. In a structure of the character described,'in combination, a plurality of uprights, means secured to the uprights for supporting the scaffold board, a scaffold board supported by said means, a bracket carried by the board and adjusted laterally thereon, an expansible mechanism having connection with the bracket, and consisting of a plurality of links pivoted at their ends and at points intermediate of their ends, there being links extending beyond the rest, pivotal connection between the extended links and levers carried by the bracket, whereby when the levers are manipulated, the links are extended for locking engagement with the building opening, and means for locking the links in expanded position.

3. In a scaffold structure, in combination, a plurality of uprights, means carried by the uprights for supporting a scaffold board, a

board and having an extension with a slot therein, a locking means comprising a plurality of links pivoted together at their ends and intermediate pins, some of the links extending beyond the rest, leverspivoted to the bracket, and having pivotal connection with he ends of the extended links, means for in presence of a W Witness itness.

JOHN L. BALD-WIN.

TITIAN W. JOHNSON. 

